Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§17.4 Crucifixus sub Pontio Pilato
Most of the relevant data has been reviewed well enough in earlier studies 178 and
requires little fresh discussion.
a. The Fate of the Prophets
The likelihood that Jesus saw himself as at least standing in the tradition of Israel's
prophets, perhaps even as the climax ofthat tradition, has already been indicated
(§§15.6, 16.2c[2]). Also that Jesus' expectation of suffering probably
grew out of a full awareness of the proverbial fate of Israel's prophets (§ 12.4d). It
is more than likely, then, that Jesus expected to suffer a prophet's rejection, 'martyrdom
in Jerusalem as part of the prophetic office'. 179 Given also the tradition
that the righteous could expect to suffer, anyone who put doing God's will before
everything else must have expected to suffer for it, even to die for it. 180 Above
all, Jesus would hardly have been unaware of what had happened to his mentor,
John the Baptist; and though John had suffered at the hands of Antipas, Jesus
would hardly assume that things might be different in Judea.
b. Mounting Hostility
If §17.3 is on the right track, then, again, Jesus must have been aware that his
continued mission and liberty were likely to come under increasing threat. Earlier
on I aired the possibility that Jesus' movements in Galilee were motivated in
part at least by the need to keep clear of Antipas's clutches (Luke 13.31). 181 His
political antennae seem to have been sufficiently sensitive on that front.
178. Particularly Jeremias, Proclamation 277-86; V. Howard, 'Did Jesus Speak about His
Own Death?' CBQ 39 (1977) 515-27; Ädna, Jesu Stellung 412-19; P. Balla, 'What Did Jesus
Think about His Approaching Death?' in Labahn and Schmidt, eds., Jesus, Mark and Q 239-58;
S. McKnight, 'Jesus and His Death: Some Recent Scholarship', CR:BS 9 (2001) 185-228.
179. Jeremias, Proclamation 280; Stuhlmacher, Biblische Theologie 1.127-8; Theissen
and Merz, Historical Jesus 429-30; see above, chapter 12 n. 184; on Mark 12.1-9, see
§16.2c(2).
180. The psalms often voice complaints on the theme, including Psalms 22 and 69; note
particularly Ps. 34.19 (e.g., Davies and Allison, Matthew 2.656-57); Pesch lists the extensive
Psalm allusions forming the OT substructure of the pre-Markan Passion narrative (Markusevangelium
2.13-14). The motif is taken up in Wisdom literature, notably Job and Wis. 3.1-10 and
5.1-5 (cited below, §17.6a). And it is obvious in apocalyptic expectation of a final tribulation
(§11.4c). See further particularly L. Ruppert, Jesus als der leidende Gerechte (SBS 59; Stuttgart:
KBW, 1972); G. W. E. Nickelsburg, Resurrection, Immortality and Eternal Life in Intertestamental
Judaism (Cambridge: Harvard University, 1972) chs. 2-4; K. T. Kleinknecht, Der leidende
Gerechtfertigte. Die alttestamentlich-jüdische Tradition vom "leidenden Gerechten" und ihre
Rezeption bei Paulus (WUNT 2.13; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1984) I. Hauptteil.
181. See above, §9.9e-f.
797